


On the Run

by Pilesshipper13



Series: Into the Belly of the Beast [2]
Category: Outlast (Video Games)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-17
Updated: 2017-06-15
Packaged: 2018-11-01 22:15:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10931100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pilesshipper13/pseuds/Pilesshipper13
Summary: After the asylum, Eddie, Waylon, and Jess have more problems to deal with.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So. Um. Ta-da? I finally finished the first chapter of this.

"You alright," Waylon asks, glancing in the rearview mirror.

"I have glass embedded in my thigh, so I'm doing about as well as you'd expect," Jess snarks.

"Even that didn't put a rein on your sarcasm," Eddie intones.

Jess flips off the back of his head.

Waylon goes over a ditch in the road, and Jess holds in a groan.

"I know, but we have to get down the mountain," Waylon soothes. "Where should we go?"

"There's a motel on the outskirts of the city," Jess says. "I passed it on the way up. Low-cost, shitty, just the place we need."

"We can't just walk in," Eddie points out.

"We're not going to. The locks on the doors should be easy enough to pick. We can lay low enough to clean up and then I can get to a phone to call Paul."

"Do you really think that he'll help us," Eddie asks, turning slightly.

"He's a nurse. He's our best shot," Jess replies.

The rest of the ride is silent. The trio basks in their newfound freedom and watch the sky darken.

 _Good,_ Jess thinks.  _We should be able to move better at night._

 

Jess quietly directs Waylon through the shady back streets and they eventually pull up to the back of the motel.

"Still have your knife, Eddie," Jess asks, slowly inching off the seat.

"Yes," Eddie nods, letting her lean on him as they painstakingly walk to a door. Jess puts her ear to the wood and listens intently, and then gestures Eddie forward. She leans on Waylon as Eddie starts finagling his blade in between the door and the frame, and then they hear a soft 'click.' Eddie opens the door and ushers them inside. Jess sits with a quiet groan on the bed.

"Should we take that out," Waylon asks, eyeing the shard sticking out of Jess' flesh and looking a little green around the gills.

"No," Jess replies. "Don't know how much it will bleed. Paul will." She braces herself and scoots backwards until she can reach the phone sitting between the two beds on the nightstand. She picks up the receiver and holds it to her ear, sighing when she hears a dial tone. She punches in the nurse's home number, listening to it ring before it goes to voicemail. "Paul, if you can hear this, pick up. It's Jess." A click.

"Jess," Paul asks, flabbergasted. "They told me you were dead."

"Well, I'm not. I'll explain everything later. Feel like breaking the law?"

"Depends on what law."

"Probably aiding and abetting a fugitive."

"Always knew you were going to get me in trouble one day," Paul says fondly. "What do you need."

"A lift for me and a couple of friends. And some medical know-how, we're kind of banged up."

"Alright. Where are you?"

"Redline Motel. Room 212, in the back."

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

"Thanks, Paul. Lay down some garbage backs in your backseat, we're not exactly clean. And you need as much plausible deniability as you can get."

"Got it. Sit tight."

Jess hangs up. "He's going to help us," she informs her companions.

 

Eddie takes the bathroom first, scrubbing his hands and arms up to the elbows, where he's rolled up his sleeves, washing the grime and blood off. He washes his face and neck, too, careful around the still-healing burns on his face.

Waylon is next. He even wets his hands and runs them through his hair, trying to give him some semblance of getting it clean. Eddie goes to retrieve Jezebel, but she shakes her head. 

"Moving hurts too much. I'll wash up at home."

 

Fifteen minutes later, true to his word, Jess looks outside and sees Paul's car drive slowly up. He beeps his horn. "Come on," she invites the men with a tilt of her head. Eddie braces his arm against her back and she loops her arm around his neck, standing slowly and painfully. They manage to get out the door and into the backseat of the car.

Paul is an unassuming man. Short cropped brown hair, brown eyes, a narrow face. He's tall, maybe 5'10, but not particularly muscular. Maybe a few years older than Waylon, maybe closer to thirty than twenty.

"Who are your friends," Paul asks, eyeing Eddie in particular. 

"Long story," Jess says as Paul pulls out of the parking lot. "Waylon used to work with me and Eddie was...let's just say that he's a friend now, and that's all you need to know."

"Is this another plausible deniability thing," Paul asks.

"Yes."

Paul sighs through his nose, eyes finding Jess' in the rearview mirror. "Am I going to get in trouble for this?"

"Maybe."

"Will I have to run?"

Jess ponders the question. But it's Eddie who answers. 

"More likely than not."

Paul looks back at the road. "Well, at least it will be interesting."

 

They arrive at the apartment building's back soon enough. Jess eyes the ladder she will have to climb to get to the fire escape and grits her teeth. Paul drives off to park.

"I could carry you," Eddie offers.

Jess looks at him, thankful. "We could try that."

Eddie reaches up on his tip-toes and pulls the ladder down, crouching slightly. Jess gets on his back, looping her arms around his shoulders and hitching her good leg on his hip, leaving the other one dangling. Eddie supports her good leg with a hand and uses the other one to climb. Waylon hovers, unsure, below. But the pair make their way to the platform just fine. Waylon follows them, and pulls the ladder up quietly. 

Jess leads the way up four flights of stairs, stopping outside a window. "Knife, please."

Eddie hands it over, and she puts it in the join of the upper and lower window, flicking the latch over. She uses the tips of her fingers to slightly push the lower window up over the upper window, and then uses her hand to lift it the rest of the way up from the bottom. Jess then swings her good leg up and over the edge, bringing her injured leg over with her hands and gritted teeth. Eddie is next, and Waylon brings up the rear. Jess returns Eddie's knife to him, which he slips in his pocket. The trio hear a skittering noise, and a German Shepard comes charging around the corner, sniffing Jess loudly.

"Shh, shh, Hunter," Jess soothes the animal, giving him a good scratching behind his ears and on his neck before removing her hands and lifting them up, forming them into fists and spreading them apart. Hunter immediately plants his butt on the ground, looking up at her. "Good boy," Jess praises.

Jess grabs Waylon's hand and brings it palm-up to Hunter's face, and he sniffs him, checking him out. Once satisfied, Hunter removes his nose from Waylon's skin, and then it's Eddie's turn. The big man moves slowly, offering his hand. Hunter also deems him okay. The dog twitches his ear and turns his head, walking assuredly towards the door. He sits in front of it, and a minute later, Paul opens the door. He gently pushes Hunter inside so he can get in, closing the door behind himself.

Paul flicks on the light and looks over them more carefully, eyes widening at the filth they're all covered in. He puts his hand over his mouth when his eyes reach Jess' leg, though. "Jess."

"Yeah," Jess groans, limping over to the couch and flopping onto it, putting her head back. Paul shakes his head and exhales through his mouth, leaving the apartment. He comes back shortly, toting a small red case. He kneels at Jess' feet, and Waylon slowly lowers himself onto the couch next to Jess, reaching for her hand. Jess squeezes it slightly, assuring her friend. Eddie stays near the window, arms crossed, closely watching Paul as he examines the shard.

"Well, it didn't hit an artery, at least," Paul says, standing up and going to the kitchen, retrieving some gardening gloves he knows Jess got when she was planning a fire escape garden. "But this is gonna hurt." 

Jess turns her head into a pillow, biting the edge. "Go," she says, voice muffled. Paul takes a deep, steadying breath, and yanks the shard clean out. Jess curses into the pillow, and Waylon makes shushing sounds, stroking her hair. Paul examines the bloody shard, and then gently pokes around the wound. 

"No shards broke off," he says, relief in his voice. 

"That's good," Waylon says, gently stroking over Jess' arm. Jess releases the pillow from between her teeth. 

"You might want to take showers before I fix you guys up," Paul sits back on his heels, looking up at the trio. 

Jess stands up, still holding onto Waylon's hand. She leads him into the bathroom. "Hot, cold," she says, putting her hand on the appropriate knobs. Thankfully, her rent is set up through direct deposit, so she hasn't been evicted. "Turn towards the wall. Use up all the hot water and I'll kill you, Eddie be damned."

"You should go first," Waylon protests. Jess shakes her head and leaves Waylon in the bathroom, going to sit on the couch again. They hear the shower start up.

Paul is sitting on the couch, looking at Eddie, who hasn't moved from his defensive spot. "You could come take a shower in my apartment," he offers. Eddie looks dubious.

"What can he do to you," Jess rolls her eyes. Eddie considers the information. He nods after a moment, and follows Paul out of the apartment. Jess relaxes into the cushions, patting her hand beside her. Hunter lightly jumps up and puts his head on her lap, and she pets him. 

 

Waylon comes out of the bathroom, a towel around his waist. 

Jess leverages herself up, dislodging Hunter, and limps slightly to the bathroom. Waylon had left the water on for her, and she strips out of the disgusting jumpsuit. She kicks the thing under the counter for good measure. She washes weeks of grime and blood off of her body, washing her hair three times before she's satisfied. She turns off the shower and returns to the living room, where Hunter has made himself at home on Waylon's feet.

 

Eddie and Paul return, Eddie with a towel around his waist. Jess disappears into a side room, and emerges a few minutes later dressed in boxers and a bra, toting two pairs of boxers. She separates them and tosses one each to Eddie and Waylon. Waylon takes the bathroom while Eddie takes Jess' bedroom.

 

Paul is working on disinfecting Jess' injuries when the men emerge. Eddie looks down at his brightly colored boxers, frowning. 

"I don't know what this means," the institutionalized man admits.

Waylon glances down. "It's Captain America. A Marvel comic book character," he explains.

Eddie hums. "They don't really fit," he says to Jess. Waylon looks down again. Now that he's not distracted by the design, he notices how the boxers form against Eddie's thick legs and-

"Well, beggars can't be choosers," Jess' voice snaps Waylon out of that particular train of thought.

Paul finishes up and gestures Waylon forward, changing out his gloves. "You're not allergic to latex, are you," he asks Waylon. Waylon shakes his head as he sits down, Jess going into her bedroom again. Waylon is also cleaned up by Paul. He has by far the fewest injuries of the trio- the only notable one is the gash on his arm that he earned from the man with multiple personalities that had chased him and Jess into Eddie's territory in the first place. 

Paul scrapes that one out, Waylon wincing all the while. Eddie pauses before putting a big hand on his shoulder, comforting him. Jess comes out of her bedroom in a big white t-shirt as Paul cleans up Waylon's minor cuts. "You'll be okay," Paul tells Waylon, smiling gently.

Paul looks up at Eddie. "You're next," he says, reaching for his box of gloves.

"I'm allergic to latex," Eddie stops him, sitting. Paul goes for his unopened box of nitrile gloves instead. Unsurprisingly, Eddie has the most injuries. But they're relatively okay. Some scrapes, a few deeper cuts, but nothing life-threatening. 

"So," Paul says, getting to his feet. "Tell me everything."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jess, Eddie, and Waylon go to release the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! I went to Disney with a couple of friends for a week. Enjoy!

Jess looks at Eddie and Waylon. 

"We're going to put everything on the Internet," Waylon points out.

"He'll find out either way," Eddie agrees.

Jess looks back at Paul. She takes a deep breath. "Ok. I need you not to freak out."

"No promises."

"Understandable. Waylon and I were computer techs at Mount Massive. You knew that much."

"Yes."

"Murkoff, the company that ran the asylum, were doing these God-awful experiments with something called the Morphogenic Engine. And even patients that weren't put into the Engine program were horribly, horribly abused and neglected."

"My God."

"Because of what he saw, Waylon contacted a reporter named Miles Upshur. He came to the asylum to investigate. But Jeremy Blaire, our boss, caught him after he sent the email, and I happened to be with him. Blaire put us both in the Engine program to shut us up."

"Got it."

"The main 'participant' in the Engine program was a man named Billy Hope. Now, the purpose of the Engine was psychological. They wanted to know if they could expose a person to so much horror that they could basically harness the supernatural."

Paul blinks. "Ok, you lost me."

Jess sighs through her nose. She was afraid of that. She gestures to Waylon. "Camcorder."

"Mine, yours, or Miles'," Waylon asks, taking his backpack off.

"Whichever one has the Walrider on it."

"Walrider," Paul questions.

Waylon puts his own camera in Jess' hands, and she rewinds just a little, keeping the screen turned away from Paul. She doesn't know if Waylon caught Miles controlling the Walrider, and if she wants Paul to help the poor man, she needs to keep that fact from him. Once she reaches the part she needs, she moves closer to Paul and hits 'play.' She watches on the little screen as Blaire stabs her in the leg, and then he's whipped around. "Oh, God! How did it get out," their former boss screams, and then he explodes into little more than mist.

Jess looks at Paul after she hits 'pause,' seeing that the man's face has drained of blood.

"I think I'm going to be sick," the man admits. Jess gently guides his head to rest between his knees.

"That's not even the worst part. We have no idea what Miles captured."

"Fuck. What the Hell did you guys go through," Paul asks the floor.

"Hell on Earth," Eddie replies.

Paul picks his head up after he takes some deep breaths. "So. That was the Walrider," he says, significantly calmer. 

"That's what it can do," Jess nods.

"Jesus Christ."

"Yeah," she agrees softly. 

"Do you believe her now," Waylon asks.

"I don't want to. But yeah, I believe her."

"Good. So Waylon heard from Andrew, some creepy fuck of a 'doctor' that Billy made something called a 'lateral ascension.' I guess that means he created a physical form for the Walrider," Jess continues her story. "After that, all Hell broke loose. The Walrider broke free, alarms were going off, somehow other patients got out, doctors and guards either got the fuck out of there or were tortured and murdered, it was chaos. Like a fox got in a henhouse. So Way and I broke out, eventually found Eddie, and we managed to escape. And now we're here," Jess shrugs.

Paul nods, taking a deep breath. "And I assume you know what to do with that," he points at the camcorder. 

"I'm gonna put it all on a flash drive and get it to people with connections. A site called VIRALeaks." Jess pauses. "You said on the phone that 'they' told you I was dead."

"Yeah," Paul nods. "Some people saying that they worked for Murkoff came around, questioning almost everyone. They soon zeroed in on me, since everyone knows we're friendly. They said there had been a workplace accident that resulted in an explosion, and you, along with some other employees, were caught in the blast. I can only assume they told the same thing to your family, Waylon," he directs his attention to the man. "They asked if you had any family, Jess. I said no, that you were estranged." Paul runs a hand through his hair. "You guys must be exhausted. Get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

Paul leaves the apartment and closes the door behind him.

"Waylon, take the bed. I'll take the couch," Jess says, standing. 

"It's your house," Waylon complains. 

"Yeah, and you're the guest," Jess replies, picking the cushions off the couch to get to the pull-out under them. Eddie helps her.

"And where's Eddie going to sleep," Waylon asks.

"The floor," Eddie tells him.

Waylon puts his foot down. "Jess, we're sharing the bed. Eddie can take the couch."

Jess looks up at him eyebrows raised, from where she's still fussing with the bed. She glances at Eddie, who shrugs.

"Fine," Jess relents. 

Waylon smiles in victory and goes into her bedroom. 

"Looks like he grew a backbone," Eddie remarks.

"I heard that!"

 

Waylon wakes up first the next morning, to Hunter snoozing beside him. He turns his head very carefully, seeing Jess curled up on her side, still asleep. Hoping against hope, Waylon slides out of bed, miraculously not waking the light sleeper. He tip-toes into the living room, looking into the adjoining kitchen. Eddie is already up, making himself coffee. 

The soft morning light is streaming through the kitchen window, coming through the blinds to lay stripes of light against Eddie's bare back. The light reveals the scars on Eddie's back that Waylon hadn't had a chance to look at the night before. Waylon takes a moment to catalogue them. He doesn't know if he's going to be allowed to know the stories or not. When Eddie tilts his shoulders slightly, his first indication of his want to turn, Waylon blinks and realizes he was staring.

Eddie inhales when he sees him, hand twitching to where his pocket would be, and the knife it would have contained. 

"Sorry," Waylon murmurs. Eddie exhales slowly, relaxing.

"Mmm. I see you found the coffee maker," Jess says, fondly rubbing shoulders with Waylon as she passes him. Eddie hums in assent. He turns back to the machine and pours himself a mug. Waylon finds his eyes drawn back to the muscles in Eddie's back, mind wandering.

"How do you take it?"

"Huh," Waylon says intelligently, snapping back to reality.

"He asked about your coffee. How do you take it," Jess says.

"Oh, um. One sugar, cream."

Eddie makes a mug to the specifications and hands it to the other man. 

Waylon takes the hot mug with a murmur of thanks. They gather around the kitchen table, sipping at their coffee. Eddie and Jess both take it black.

The trio is silent, enjoying the domesticity and normalcy of it all. Hunter ambles out of the bedroom and lays his head on Eddie's knee.

They hear a soft knocking, not at the door, but on the wall somewhere to the right of the TV. Jess gets up and walks to the wall, and knocks a single time back. She turns to the men. "Paul," she explains, and the door opens. Paul walks in, carrying a small notebook.

"Ok. I need your measurements, you need clothes," Paul takes a seat at the table.

Waylon and Eddie provide them, and Paul nods.

"I'll be back," Paul says, going out the door again.

"He's a man of few words, usually," Jess returns to her coffee. "There are toothbrushes in the hall closet, toothpaste in the bathroom cabinet above the sink. Go wild."

Waylon and Eddie had almost forgotten the sensation of clean teeth.

 

Jess throws on a Marvel movie for her friends and goes into her bedroom with the camcorders, putting it all onto her personally-built, secure laptop. She coalesces all the footage into a single flash drive, not cutting a single thing with one exception- she cuts out the very last part of Waylon's footage, where he had caught Miles' voice. She doesn't want the world to know that the reporter is now the home of some blood-thirsty, supernatural monster. She wants him to have a chance at a normal life after everything. She toys with the idea of cutting out the parts that show them just walking through the asylum, but she eventually decides against it. It shows the absolute disrepair of the asylum. Whoever watched the file would have to decide for themselves whether to watch those parts or not. She makes copies of all the documents and scans them onto the flash drive as well. She shoots off a quick email to a friend at VIRALeaks, checking that the drop site is still the same. It is.

She comes out to Waylon patiently explaining what's going on in the movie, to an intently-listening Eddie. When the credits roll, Eddie reaches for the remote, but Waylon stops him. "After-credit scenes," the man says. 

"Ever see  _Shawshank Redemption_ ," Jess asks when the scene is over, going to her movie bookshelf.

 

They catch Eddie up on all the media that they can, and the man relaxes. He seems to be enjoying himself.

 

Paul comes back eventually, carrying in bags full of clothes. "Eddie," he hands one big bag to the man. "Waylon."

They're nondescript clothes. Soft colors, t-shirts and jeans, some sweaters for when it gets cold. 

"Thank you," Waylon says.

"Thank you," Eddie echoes.

Paul dips his head and smiles. "You're welcome."

"How much," Waylon asks.

"Don't worry about it, I dipped into my cash stash at home. No paper trail."

"But-"

"I said, don't worry about it."

"Our assets are probably frozen, anyway," Jess remarks from the couch. "Halo?"

Eddie and Waylon get dressed, and Jess patiently teaches them how to play the video game. Eddie is surprisingly good at it once he gets the hang of it.

 

When the sun starts to set, they start getting ready to leave.

"Can't you stay a couple more days," Paul asks.

"The longer we stay, the more chance that Murkoff will discover we broke out. And I want to expose them as soon as possible," Jess says, hooking her thumb into the chain she's wearing around her neck, showing the flash drive disguised as a pendant. She also put on her cross, since she lost the last one, along with the rest of her stuff, when she was put into the Engine. She picks up a few burner phones and hands them out. "And you might hear from Miles. I left a note for him, telling him that if he's alive, to come see you, that you might be able to help," she lies. Again, no reason to scare the man by telling him that Miles is the new host for the Walrider.

"Take my car. They'll be looking for yours," Paul says, holding up his keys.

Jess shakes her head. "If you drive my truck, they'll question you. They'll figure out that you helped us," Jess says. "I have separate license plates in the glove box. I'll be fine."

"Why do you have different license plates," Waylon asks the girl. She shrugs.

"My father was a paranoid bastard, among other things. He always thought the government was out to get him. It's a habit I never really broke."

"Good for us," Eddie points out. 

Waylon shuffles his feet and holds out an envelope. "If you can, can you give this to my wife," he asks.

"When did you write that," Jess asks, as Paul takes it.

"When Eddie took his turn playing that long deathmatch," Waylon says. Jess and Eddie had been so caught up in the game that they never noticed him coming or going.

"I will," Paul nods.

Jess kneels down to Hunter. "Be good for Uncle Paul," she instructs him, scrubbing her hands against the sides of his neck. "I'll see you again. One day. I promise."

Hunter 'woof's softly and presses his forehead against Jess'. Jess stands up, clearing her throat. "In my room, on my desk, is a slim black box in a red container. If you ever need a secure Internet connection, plug that into any computer and you'll get one. And I wrote down the address to the drop site we're going to. For Miles to find out where we are, if he wants, if we can't get in touch with you. And they can get him the means to make himself a new life."

Paul nods. He extends his hand. "I'll see you again, right?"

Jess takes it and shakes. "Of course. After we raze Murkoff to the ground." Paul smiles and laughs. He shakes Waylon and Eddie's hands, and they go down the fire escape again, leaving Paul and Hunter in the apartment. Eddie and Waylon watch Jess switch the license plates.

"Are you sure you can drive," Eddie asks, gesturing to her leg. Jess looks down- she hadn't thought about that. It's her right leg, the one that works the pedals. She gives the keys to Eddie.

"Where to," Waylon asks, as they all climb in the bench seat, him in the middle.

"VIRALeaks drop site," Jess replies, as Eddie starts the truck.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio explodes the truth onto the world. And start a new life.

"How do you even know about the drop site," Eddie asks.

"I've done some, let's just call it vigilante work. I could have done it over the net, but doing it in person will be easier. And better. VIRALeaks prefers to have the opportunity to meet the hacktivists," Jess explains.

"'Hacktivists,'" Eddie repeats the unfamiliar word. "I've been away too long."

Jess smiles.

 

"Is it really that far away," Waylon complains.

"There was one in our city, but I know the one we're going to. I know the head honcho. Guy by the name of Harry. Good man, he'll believe us. Now quit your complaining, we're fifteen minutes out," Jess rolls her eyes.

 

The drop site is apparently in a warehouse. Jess leads them to a side door and knocks a rhythm. "Code," a voice calls from inside.

"1347."

The door is unlocked, and there's a man standing there, enshrouded in shadow. "Been a while, Jess."

"I brought friends this time. Roll out the red carpet," she smiles, clapping him on the shoulder as she goes in. The man looks over Eddie and Waylon and stands aside, allowing them to follow Jess.

There are computers in neat rows filling the row, the space mainly illuminated by the blueish glow of the screens. 

"Harry, Jess is here," the doorman calls, and a man looks up from where he'd been bent next to someone on the computer, probably looking over their work. 

"Jess. What did you bring for us this time," Harry asks, coming closer. He's tall, taller than Jess. He has black rimmed glasses and a narrow nose, blue eyes that he looks over the newcomers with. 

"Something that will shift the perspective of anyone who watches it," Jess replies.

"Bold claim."

"It's true," Waylon nods.

"And who are they?"

"Former coworker- not our kind of coworker- and a friend," Jess says, gesturing to Waylon and Eddie in turn. 

Harry nods. "Please, have a seat," he offers, leading them to a small side room that only contains a table with a closed laptop on it.

Jess lays it all out for him. Harry leans back when it's all over. "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. If you're telling the truth," Harry trails off.

"Yeah," Jess nods. She pulls the flash drive out of the pendant and tosses it underhand to a lackey at the door. Eddie snaps his head to look at her. "Relax," she scoffs. "Standard procedure; copy it down to a bunch of USBs and send them off to undisclosed hackers all over the place so that in case it gets taken down, there's always someone to put it back up."

She gets the USB back and opens the computer, plugging the drive into the side of it. She clicks 'download' and a bar fills up. 

"Are you sure you want to do this? This will definitely do irreparable damage to our friends at Murkoff, but remember. Your families, everyone you call a friend, everyone you've ever loved, will all be in danger. Murkoff will stop at nothing to make this all go away. If you do this, you're fucked. But it's the right thing to do."

Jess looks at Waylon. "You're the one with the most to lose," she tells him gently.

Waylon looks them each in the eyes and then leans over and presses 'enter.' 

"What now," Waylon asks.

"Now we get you guys squared away." Harry takes a stuffed white envelope from another hacker and tosses it to Jess, who catches it deftly. "This isn't like the other times, Jess. This isn't some random pedophile on the internet. This is a multinational company you just fucked. You need to disappear."

"Where?"

"Farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. You should feel right at home. Arkansas."

"Never wanted to go," Jess muses, thumbing through the envelope. Cash, fake IDs, the works. "Katie, huh," she asks. She hands Waylon and Eddie the appropriate IDs. She had sent them photos of each of them when she checked the drop site. 

"Sam," Waylon reads off. 

"Kyle," Eddie says.

"You could be a Kyle," Jess cocks her head at him.

"You and Waylon are siblings," Harry says.

"Nice. And Eddie is," Jess questions.

"Whoever the Hell you want him to be."

"Friend, roommate," Jess tries. "Distant cousin?"

"Not family," Waylon says quickly. "Friend sounds okay." Why did he say that?

Jess nods. "Friend it is. How do you feel about that, Mr. Davis?"

Eddie looks at his ID. "I feel like we should get going," he pauses to peer at Waylon's ID. "Ms. Taylor."

"Paint your car the first chance you get," Harry advises. "I know a guy." He hands her a piece of paper with handwriting on it. "No questions asked."

"Thank you," Jess says.

Harry extends his hand. "Good luck."

She shakes it. "We're not going to need it, thanks to your help," she says with confidence she doesn't really feel. "Oh, and if a guy comes sniffing around by the name of Miles Upshur, send him our way. He's a friend."

"The investigative journalist?"

"The very same."

Harry shakes Waylon's and then Eddie's hands, nodding at them. 

They leave, getting back in Jess' truck. She pulls out a GPS from the glove box and punches in the address of the paint shop. Eddie drives, listening to the female voice directing him. 

"I never used one of these," he muses. "Too expensive. Plus, I never needed one. Small town. Either you knew where you were going or you didn't."

 

The paint shop doesn't have any lights on, but Jess goes to the back on a hunch and knocks. A man opens the door. "Sorry. We're closed."

"Harry sent us," Jess says simply. 

The man pauses. "What color?"

Jess looks at the registration Harry gave her. "Uh, something called 'olive drab green.'"

"I have that one. There are mattresses in the back."

The trio pick out two mattresses and go to sleep.

 

They literally have to wait for paint to dry. Just enough that they could drive, but it'll still take longer than what they're comfortable with. 

The mechanic gets sick of Waylon's pacing after a few hours the next morning. "Why don't you go get some food," he offers. "There's a diner nearby." Waylon stops and considers.

"It's a good idea. We're far enough away and it hasn't been long enough that they've found out yet," Jess points out. She hands Waylon some money. "And then we'll stock up when we're ready to leave. We'll be living off junk food for a few days." Eddie wrinkles his nose. "Yeah, suck it up, big guy."

Waylon takes the money. The mechanic hands him a set of keys. "Try not to crash my car." Waylon heads out.

 

Finally, the paint dries enough that they can touch it without a problem a few days later. "You'll still have to wait if you want to wax it, but," the mechanic shrugs. He hands the keys to Eddie. "Good luck you three."

"Thanks," Waylon nods. They get in the truck, and Jess raises her hand in farewell as they head off into the night.

"So, what's the address," Waylon asks, fiddling with the GPS. Jess checks the paper that Harry had given her.

"121 Yellow Lane, Fawlett, Arkansas," she rattles off. Waylon dutifully punches in the address.

"How long," Eddie asks, not taking his eyes off the road.

"Too long for this thing to tell us," Waylon replies. Eddie sighs and heads for the highway.

 

"I am sick of junk food," Waylon thunks his head against the back of the seat the next day, when they've just crossed the border into Kansas.

"Tough shit," Jess says, primly popping a potato chip into her mouth. 

"There's a diner. Please," Waylon whines. They had detoured into a town because Eddie was driving himself nuts on the highway. He refused to let Waylon drive. 

Jess looks at Eddie. "We can make a pit stop," the man says, pulling in. He was too proud to say it himself, but he has grown tired of their food, too.

They get out of the cab, Waylon stretching happily. Eddie self-consciously checks his face in the side mirror. 

"No one will mention the burns," Waylon tells him softly.

"You're big enough that they wouldn't dare. Now come on."

Eddie turns a few heads, but the patrons soon return their eyes to their plates when Jess delivers a well-placed glare. Waylon grabs a booth, and Jess takes a seat opposite from him. Eddie boxes her in. Waylon peruses the menu.

"What do you think you're going to get," Waylon asks.

Jess only gives the menu a passing glance. "Pancakes."

Eddie shrugs. "Waffles."

"Bacon and sausage and eggs and toast," Waylon says.

"Hungry much," Jess huffs a laugh.

Their waitress is a kindly older woman named Dolly who looks over Eddie's burns sadly, but doesn't say anything. "What'll you have, sweethearts?"

They each place their orders. "And to drink?"

"Iced tea," Jess asks.

"Sweet or unsweetened?"

"Sweet."

"Coffee," Eddie orders. 

"Sure thing, sugar."

"And just orange juice for me."

"You got it. That'll be ready in a jiffy."

 

"So, I haven't seen you folks around here before," Dolly says, putting their food in front of them. "You just passing through?"

"Yes, ma'am," Eddie says.

"Oh, where you headed?"

"St. Louis," Jess lies with a smile.

"Sounds like fun. How do you know each other?"

"Oh, Abby and I are cousins, and Jerry is a family friend," Waylon catches on.

"Oh, how nice. A family road trip," Dolly smiles.

"Yes, ma'am," Eddie repeats.

Dolly leaves them to eat.

They eat steadily, pausing occasionally to make small talk. Even Jess has to admit, it's nice to pretend to be normal for a bit, instead of looking over their shoulders and talking about what to do if Murkoff catches them.

"I never asked, Jerry," Waylon remembers the fake name at the last second. "What's your favorite color?"

Eddie chews, thinking. "Maybe a light chestnut brown," he says thoughtfully. "Yours?"

"Dark blue all the way. Abby?"

"Hunter green."

"Is that where Hunter got his name," Waylon asks.

"Nah, I just figured it'd be better than Jessie."

Eddie chokes slightly on his coffee, coughing. "Jessie? Really? That's a person's name."

Jess grins. "Stupid, right? Shelters give the worst names ever."

Eddie chuckles softly. 

Jess steals a piece of Waylon's toast, splitting it with Eddie. She dunks her half in syrup to discourage Waylon from stealing it back. 

"Gross," Waylon pouts. Jess sticks her tongue out at him and eats her toast. Eddie shakes his head at the pair and eats his with just butter. They all finish every bit of food on their plate. 

"Now that's what I like to see. People with healthy appetites," Dolly says warmly, collecting the plates. "Check?"

"Please," Jess smiles.

They pay their bill, leaving a tip for Dolly. They head back to the truck, and Waylon manages to get behind the wheel this time, leaving Eddie to sulk in the passenger seat. He tilts his head forward to take a nap.

 

"You are now passing into Arkansas," Waylon leans forward to read the sign above their heads.

"Yaaay," Jess says with her eyes closed, slumped into herself. Eddie elbows her. "Ow."

"That didn't hurt. This is a good thing."

"Hence the 'yay.' And I'm not  _that_ squishy, Eddie."

Eddie rolls his eyes at her.

 

Waylon opens his mouth, turning to his companions when he pulls into a motel parking lot. He smiles softly. Eddie had evidently stretched his arm out across the seat to get comfortable, and Jess is curled into him, both fast asleep. Waylon takes a picture on the burner phone to make fun of them later. He gently touches Eddie's arm. The big man inhales and picks his head up, realizing his position. He touches Jess' shoulder just as gently as Waylon had touched him. She grumbles and snuggles closer. "Come on, we can sleep in the motel," Eddie encourages her, and she reluctantly sits up.

"You two cuddle bugs can sleep in one bed, I want to sleep by myself," Waylon says.

"Fine by me."

"I don't," Eddie starts. "It's not really proper."

"Eddie, I've been sleeping with Waylon for weeks. You can suck it up for one night."

 

Eddie falls asleep while Jess is in the shower, but he wakes up when she gets in bed. 

"It's just me," she assures him. She puts her back to him and gets comfortable. Eddie clears his throat uncomfortably and settles down. Jess falls asleep quickly, Waylon soon following her. Eddie has to listen to their breaths for a while before he falls asleep.

 

"So," Jess says, as they finally arrive in Fawlett. It's a little town, with a main street with long squat buildings and a single movie theater. Mom and Pop shops all over the place. People look twice at their car because it's unfamiliar. Waylon drives slowly to their house, which is outside town.

Their new house is decently big. A porch out front, a big oak to the side of the house with a swing on it. Lots of grass. Waylon pulls up the driveway and parks, and they all get out. Jess and Eddie collect all the trash from inside the truck and stand at the base of the steps with Waylon.

"Ready," Jess asks. Waylon nods, and Eddie just takes a step forward. Jess pulls out the key from the envelope and unlocks the door.

The living room is big. There's what looks like a flat screen against one wall and an 'L' shaped couch. They're both covered in white sheets so it's hard to tell. The room connects to the kitchen in an open floor plan. Off the kitchen there are big sliding glass doors that lead out into the backyard. There's an island in the kitchen, plenty of counter space that Eddie eyes appreciatively. To the far end of the living room is a set of wide wood stairs that lead up to the second level. Jess and Eddie set the trash on the island until they get garbage bags. It's all inside food bags anyway. 

Waylon goes upstairs first to explore. Three bedrooms (thank God), a bathroom, not really much else. And no one bedroom is bigger than the others. They're all pretty identical.

"How do you like it," Jess asks, leaning against the doorjamb of the bedroom Waylon had wandered into.

"It's alright," Waylon nods, looking around. "I could get used to living here."

"Good to hear. Because we're stuck together, for better or worse."

"You make it sound like we're married," Waylon jokes.

Eddie stands behind Jess. "We kind of are."

"What now," Waylon asks.

"Get settled in. Get everything we need to make a life here."


End file.
